Event Espresso
Event Espresso develops WordPress plugins for event registration and ticketing, serving thousands of businesses, NGOs, and educational institutions globally through a freemium subscription model with no per-ticket commission fees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersUtah, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Event Espresso does
Event Espresso is a privately held software company that develops event registration and ticketing plugins for WordPress websites. Founded in 2009 and operated as Event Espresso, LLC, the company is based in Utah, USA, and is led by co-founders Seth Shoultes and Garth Koyle. The core product is a PHP/MySQL WordPress plugin built on WordPress custom post types with proprietary database tables (wp_esp_), licensed under GPL and extensible via REST API, hooks, and filters.
The product portfolio includes a free Decaf tier with a 3% per-transaction fee, a Core premium plan at $129 per year, and an All Access pass at $399 per year that bundles all add-ons including the Calendar+ events calendar, mobile ticket-scanning app, marketing automation integrations, and 30+ payment gateway integrations. Revenue is generated through annual subscription licenses and transaction fees on the free tier, with no per-ticket commission on premium plans. The technology stack supports custom registration forms with conditional logic, multiple ticket types, waitlist management, multi-event shopping cart registration, promotional codes, volume discounts, and GDPR/VAT compliance.
Event Espresso distributes exclusively through digital self-serve channels, primarily the WordPress.org plugin directory and its own website, with no sales team or reseller network. Customer segments are horizontal, spanning non-profits, educational institutions, small businesses, corporations, and individual event organizers across verticals including conferences, classes, fundraisers, sports, and wellness. The company also operates Event Smart, a hosted-ticketing sub-brand for users without WordPress sites. No external funding has been raised; the business is bootstrapped and founder-owned.
Event Espresso firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Event Espresso
- Legal name
- Event Espresso, LLC
- Website
- https://eventespresso.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Event Espresso develops WordPress plugins for event registration and ticketing, serving thousands of businesses, NGOs, and educational institutions globally through a freemium subscription model with no per-ticket commission fees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Event Espresso industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Event Management Software
- NAICS
- Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Primary Ticketing Platforms & Box Office Systems (MPAGAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ticketing, Registration & Event Technology (Badging, Apps) (BPAFAGAL), Access Control, Credentialing & Entry Management (Scan/Turnstiles/RFID) (MPAGAJAG), Event Discovery, Listings & Calendar Platforms (MPAGAJAL)
Keywords
Where Event Espresso is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Utah
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Event Espresso business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Annual Subscription Licenses: Annual subscription model with tiered plans (Decaf free, Core $129/yr, All Access $399/yr). Subscriptions provide access to premium features, support services, updates, and eliminate transaction fees. Renewal is automatic with 7 days advance notice for cancellation.
- Transaction/Platform Fees: Free Decaf tier charges 3% per-transaction fee. Premium Core and All Access plans eliminate transaction fees entirely. The Partner Platform without active license charges 3% per-transaction application fee.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Decaf - Free basic event registration |
| Subscription | Annual | Core - Premium features with 0% transaction fees |
| Subscription | Annual | All Access - Complete feature set with premium support |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Event Espresso product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Event Espresso develops and sells a WordPress plugin that enables organizations to sell event tickets and manage event registrations directly on their own WordPress websites. The platform offers unlimited events, ticket types, custom registration forms with conditional logic, direct payment processing into the merchant's own gateway account, attendee management with waitlists, and an events calendar. It is distributed in a free tier (Decaf), a premium annual subscription (Core), and a full-featured bundle (All Access), with optional add-ons including a mobile ticket-scanning app and Calendar+.
Product overview
Event Espresso is a WordPress events calendar and event registration plugin architecture consisting of a free core (Decaf), premium core tier, and an All Access pass bundling all add-ons. The primary product is Event Espresso (Core/Premium) which provides unlimited event creation, ticket sales, custom registration forms, and multiple payment gateway integrations. Calendar+ is a companion calendar plugin offering multiple views and filtering capabilities. Additional paid add-ons include mobile ticket scanning, Mailchimp sync, multiple event registration shopping cart, volume discounts, and numerous payment gateway integrations (Stripe, Square, QuickBooks, Authorize.net). Third-party add-ons like the Files Add-on extend functionality for file uploads in registration forms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Calendar+: Advanced WordPress events calendar plugin with customizable views, filtering, and styling options. Also referred to as Events Calendar Plus.
- Event Smart
Products and services
- Event Espresso (Core/Premium) The primary WordPress events calendar and event registration plugin used by organizations to sell tickets and manage event registrations on their own WordPress websites. Supports unlimited events, ticket sales, custom registration forms, multiple payment gateways, attendee tracking, and event management tools. Annual subscription priced at $129/year.
- Event Espresso Decaf Free version of the event registration and ticketing plugin with basic features including unlimited events, registrations, multiple ticket types, PayPal payments, basic forms, and SEO optimization. Subject to a 3% per-transaction fee.
- Calendar+ (Events Calendar Plus) Advanced WordPress events calendar plugin with month/week/day/agenda views, filtering by keyword, venue, category, tag, and location, mobile optimization, and customizable styling. Can be used independently or paired with Event Espresso for registrations and payments.
- All Access Pass Annual subscription tier priced at $399/year that bundles all Decaf and Core features with every add-on plugin, including Calendar+, the mobile ticket-scanning app, promotions, Mailchimp sync, Stripe/Square/QuickBooks/Authorize.net integrations, and additional payment gateways, plus premium support.
- Event Espresso Mobile Ticket Scanning App Mobile application for scanning and validating digital tickets with real-time attendance tracking, check-in/check-out functionality, and QR/barcode support. Included with the All Access plan.
- Event Smart (Partner Platform) Self-service hosted ticketing service for customers who want ticketing without installing their own WordPress site. Uses the same underlying Event Espresso technology but with a separate licensing model and a 3% per-transaction application fee when no active license is held.
Quantifiable outcome
- Customers report saving $10,000+ annually compared to Eventbrite by eliminating per-ticket commission fees on high-volume ticket sales
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Event Espresso
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Event Espresso technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration13 records
Feature10 records
Event Espresso partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Event Espresso competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Whova: Event management platform with strong mobile attendee app, community engagement, and registration — used heavily by associations and conferences. Competes for the same mid-market event organizer with deeper mobile/virtual functionality than Event Espresso.
- Eventzilla: Self-service online event registration and ticketing platform for conferences, classes, and fundraisers. Targets the same SMB and nonprofit organizer segment as Event Espresso with a comparable freemium/pricing structure.
- Bizzabo: Modern end-to-end event experience platform for mid-market and enterprise B2B events with registration, ticketing, mobile app, and analytics. Competes for the same event-management buyer persona but upmarket, with significantly more capital and a hosted SaaS model.
- EventON: Premium WordPress events calendar plugin sold via CodeCanyon with month/grid/list views, ticket sales add-ons, and customizable styling — competes head-to-head with Event Espresso and Calendar+ for the same WordPress event organizer segment.
- Tito: Lightweight, design-forward SaaS for event ticketing and registration used by tech conferences, meetups, and workshops. Competes for the same small-to-mid event organizer persona as Event Espresso but with a hosted-SaaS delivery model.
- WP Event Manager: WordPress plugin for event listings, registrations, and ticketing with frontend submission forms and a developer-friendly architecture. Targets the same SMB and community-event organizer use cases as Event Espresso inside the WordPress ecosystem.
- Ticket Tailor: Self-service event ticketing platform popular with nonprofits, community groups, and small businesses — a direct competitor for the same value-conscious, non-enterprise event organizer that Event Espresso targets with its zero-fee model.
- The Events Calendar (by Stellar Events / Modern Tribe): Most direct competitor — a WordPress events calendar and ticketing plugin with a freemium model, online ticket sales, and an event management add-on suite. Operates in the exact same WordPress ecosystem niche as Event Espresso with overlapping feature set.
Broad incumbents
- Eventbrite: Largest consumer and SMB event ticketing platform with global brand, marketplace distribution, and consumer demand. Event Espresso explicitly positions itself as the zero-commission alternative to Eventbrite — they target the same end-organizer but with opposing business models.
- Cvent: Dominant enterprise event management suite, now owned by Blackstone with a broad portfolio spanning registration, venue sourcing, and on-site solutions. Cited by Event Espresso customers as the high-cost incumbent they switched away from — same problem space, opposite end of the market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Event Espresso social profiles
Digital presenceEvent Espresso compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Event Espresso financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Event Espresso leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Event Espresso funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Event Espresso M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Event Espresso
What does Event Espresso do?
Event Espresso develops and sells a WordPress plugin that enables organizations to sell event tickets and manage event registrations directly on their own WordPress websites. The platform offers unlimited events, ticket types, custom registration forms with conditional logic, direct payment processing into the merchant's own gateway account, attendee management with waitlists, and an events calendar. It is distributed in a free tier (Decaf), a premium annual subscription (Core), and a full-featured bundle (All Access), with optional add-ons including a mobile ticket-scanning app and Calendar+.
Is Event Espresso a public or private company?
Event Espresso is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Event Espresso founded?
Event Espresso was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Event Espresso based?
Event Espresso is headquartered in Utah, United States, in the North America region.
How does Event Espresso make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Annual Subscription Licenses are the primary driver. The others are transaction/Platform Fees.
Who are Event Espresso's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Whova, Eventzilla, Bizzabo, EventON, Tito, WP Event Manager, Ticket Tailor and The Events Calendar (by Stellar Events / Modern Tribe). Broad incumbents are Eventbrite and Cvent.
Does Event Espresso have an API?
Yes. Event Espresso offers a REST API add-on that enables developers to integrate external systems with the event management platform. The API supports custom payment gateway creation, third-party integrations, and data access. Developer resources are available at developer.eventespresso.com including documentation for EE4 payment method development. Developer documentation is at developer.eventespresso.com/ee-plugin/event-espresso-core.
What industry is Event Espresso in?
Event Espresso's product category is Event Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAJAA, Primary Ticketing Platforms & Box Office Systems, with a secondary code of BPAFAGAL, Ticketing, Registration & Event Technology (Badging, Apps). Its NAICS code is 541511 and its SIC code is 7370.